A New Beginning
by xxxTrojan-Princessxxx
Summary: He proposed a solution to their problems; move to another state. What would happen if she said yes? Would it really be happily ever after? Or would her meddling family get in the way? *possible spoilers for over-seas viewers.
1. A Big Change

_**A New Beginning**_

Part 1:

"Rachel, are you ready?" Angus smiled. He placed his bag on the table and turned to face her. His eyes lit up when they fell on her, the wonderful girl, no, young woman, who was giving up everything for him.

"Sure am," she replied after a moment of pause, and not all that convincingly. She smiled softly at him; as though she were trying to convince them both that this was what she truly wanted. Tears of joy filled his eyes and he tenderly reached out a hand and caressed her cheek. Sometimes he couldn't believe how lucky he was. Yes, he may have lost his career and spent time in jail, but he did it for love, and it really was worth it. How many twenty-three year olds could say they had found their one true love?

"Thank you for doing this for me," he said softly, the love he had for her evident in his voice.

"I'm doing it for us, and don't you forget it," she laughed sadly. She placed a hand on his chest and he pulled her into a loving embrace. It wasn't going to be easy for either of them to start their lives anew, harder for her than him though. She was leaving behind her entire family. Aside from him, everyone she loved lived in Erinsborough, and to ask her to leave them all was a hard thing to do, but for them to live here was slowly tearing them apart. It wasn't fair for him to expect her to have to defend their relationship and to put up with all the cruel comments. He could handle it, hell he probably even deserved it, but she didn't. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but when he saw how upset she was about everything, he realised that there were only two options. They could either break-up (which really didn't appeal to him) or they could move away. Either way he was going to need employment and considering his reputation here, that wasn't exactly possible, so he had to search elsewhere.

When he had found the job in South Australia he felt as though all his prayers had been answered. Not only could he keep his promise to Rachel, they could stay together and he could prove to everyone that he could look after her. When he had first told her about the job she was hesitant but after a while he convinced her that it was a great opportunity.

They pulled out of the embrace and Angus picked up his bag, placed it on the box on the table and grabbed them both along with his keys. Rachel pulled her bag over her shoulder and held the door open. She took one last glance around the flat before following Angus out to the car.

They drove down the road in silence, neither daring to speak, Rachel for fear that if she spoke she would change her mind, Angus for fear that he would upset her when she was already distraught. As they approached Ramsay Street he turned and smiled at her, hoping with all his heart that she would smile back. To his relief she did. He was so happy that she smiled that he didn't notice the tears in her eyes.

She turned away from him, her smile falling. Silent tears fell down her cheeks. She chastised herself for crying when she should be excited about this new adventure. Ahead of her lay a new town and a whole new group of people who had no idea as to the history of her and Angus, and that fact alone made her want to get there faster. The thought of leaving her family though, made her want to stay.

She looked out the window at the houses as they drove passed. The houses that were so familiar and would soon become a memory. She imagined returning in four years time and not knowing anyone. The mere thought made her heart ache. She gripped the hand rest on the door as they approached Ramsay Street. Her heart began to race; she couldn't do this, she wasn't ready.

"Angus stop, please, stop the car!" she cried. Startled he pulled the car over. Before the vehicle had come to a complete stop Rachel was out of the car.

"Hey!" Angus called concern evident in his voice. Hurriedly he climbed out of the car and ran after her.

"Hey, hey!" his voice grew softer as he caught up to her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I lied to you, I didn't tell Susan, I didn't tell Karl, I didn't even tell Zeke. I just left a note like some gutless cow!" she cried. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she began to sob. Angus wrapped his arms around her, running his hands up and down her back in a soothing motion.

"Let's go back and tell them," he suggested. He hated seeing her so upset and would do anything to make her happy again, even if it meant facing the real possibility of losing her to her family.

"No, I can't, I can't do this," she sobbed. Tears filled Angus' eyes; he knew where this was going.

"Don't you want us to be together?" he asked feeling hurt. He really didn't want to lose her. After all he went through to be with her; to lose her when they were so close to having a life together would be unbearable.

"More than anything," she replied, her heart going into her words. She really did want to be with him, she just wasn't sure if she could handle everything.

"Then come with me," he encouraged. He ran his hands up and down her arms. His eyes pleaded with her. He knew he couldn't force her to go with him, he wouldn't even dream about it, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't fight to keep her. Her sobbing eased and she pulled back so that she could see his face. She couldn't bring herself to speak so she simply nodded. He smiled at her and pulled her into a warm hug.

**A/N: Ok this is the first part of my story. I know that it follows closely with the show but that's how I wanted it to start. I promise that after this chapter it'll be all mine. I would really love some feedback on this as I know that the pairing was very controversial. I'll try to update soon, but I want to get ahead with the chapters before I post them.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never was, never will be. We all know that I don't own the characters so this will be my first and only disclaimer.**

**The rating of the story may change.**


	2. Family Pain

**A/N: Ok here's the second chapter. The first one followed with the episode pretty closely (or as close as I could get it since I don't know short hand and it's really hard to write what the character's are saying without falling far behind). I hate to be the author who asks for reviews, but I really would like some feedback on this one as I'm not 100 sure as to where I'm going to take it and would really love so input!**

**Enjoy!**

Part 2:

Susan turned quickly towards the door. Without warning she ran out the door into the front yard. Confused, Karl, Libby, and Zeke followed her out; they hadn't heard the car doors slam. They ran quickly out into the street and stopped. Beside the car not ten metres away stood Rachel in Angus' arms. They watched in shock as Rachel pressed feverish kisses to Angus' lips.

When they pulled apart and Rachel turned to face them Susan's heart soared, it seemed that her girl was finally coming home. Tears came to her eyes as Rachel moved faster and faster towards her. She opened her arms and Rachel fell into them.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled over and over. Tears streamed down her cheeks as Susan rubbed her back. Not once did they notice Angus as he made over to them. He waited for a few moments before making his presence known by a gentle cough.

"You," Karl said coldly, glaring at Angus. Zeke followed Karl's suit and also glared. Rachel pulled away from Susan and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You're coming home?" Susan asked hopefully. Rachel gulped and cast her eyes to the ground. Angus stepped forward and placed his arm around her shoulder. She drew strength from him and raised her head.

"No," she whispered, "I'm not." She took a deep breath, glanced at Angus, then refocussed on her family.

"Angus and I...ah...we...um...we're...we're moving..." she stumbled over the words. She closed her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek. Angus noticed it, pulled her closer and brushed the tear away. She leant into his hand, cherishing the feeling of his skin against hers.

"Moving? Why? Where? Closer to home?" Susan asked, clearly shocked at the statement. She hated the fact that Rachel now lived with this criminal, the man who took her away from her family.

"No, we...ah...we're moving to South Australia," she said softly. She hated how this was hurting her family but she had no choice. They were never going to accept the relationship; that was a fact that she had come to realise long ago.

"South Australia?" Susan stared at them in shock.

"I don't think so," Karl said angrily. "You can't come here and take her away like this; she's barely seventeen-years-old! We're still her legal guardians and we say that she stays here with us. You can go to hell for all I care, but she stays here."

"Karl, you can't stop me from leaving. I love Angus and I want to be with him, and since no one here will give us a chance we're going to go somewhere that will. I'll still go to school, after all I'm graduating soon, and Angus has a job there," Rachel replied an edge to her voice. There was no way on earth that she was going to be forced to do anything she didn't want to do. She couldn't believe that not long ago she wanted to stay here, that she seriously considered giving up Angus just so she wouldn't upset a few people for a while.

"You can't go anywhere with this perv Rach," Zeke sneered at Angus, "Think of your family."

"You really are unbelievable! Don't you care how I feel or what's best for me? I can't live my life for all of you; I need to do what's best for me!" Rachel cried.

"We do care, that's why you need to stay here, that's what's best for you," Susan replied calmly.

"No, staying here is not what's best for me. Why would I want to be around people who can't give someone a chance, who judge them without actually getting to know them? Who condemn a relationship because they say it's wrong when they themselves have led far from perfect lives!" with every word her voice became louder, people in the houses could hear every word she spoke but she didn't care. Let them listen, it didn't matter.

"We condemn the relationship because it is wrong. He's twenty-three for God's sake! He's a full-grown man Rachel! You're just a girl who thinks she's in love when in reality you're only with him because you feel bad about what happened. And who's to say that when you get to South Australia that he won't grow tired of you and find someone else, someone older, who can fulfil all his needs?" Karl snapped.

"What gives you the right to judge us Karl? You who had an affair behind you wife's back, left her for the woman, had a child with this woman, and then went back to your wife!" Rachel yelled. She was really getting fired up. She knew that what she was saying was hurtful but at that moment she didn't care.

"That's different, I'm an adult, you're still a child. You're an immature child who doesn't know what love is," Karl yelled back. How dare Rachel compare her situation to his?

"How dare you say that I don't know what love is!" she bit back a nasty comment and shook her head, "You know, I'm glad that I'm leaving, I'm glad that I get to get away from such judgemental, self-centred people! Would it really kill you to be happy for me?" with that she turned her back to them and faced Angus. "Come on, let's go, we don't need this," she said. Without looking back once she walked to the car.

"Rachel no! Please, don't leave, we can work something out!" Susan pleaded. Rachel paused.

"I'm sorry Susan, we can't work something out. The one thing I want most in this world is something that none of you will allow, and even if you say that you'll give us a chance, I know that you won't treat us right. I mean you couldn't even treat Angus decently when he needed us most! You all need to look deeper at thing instead of taking in only what is on the surface. Yes, I'm young and Angus is older, but does that really mean that we can't possibly have true feelings for each other? When you have all really thought about it and are prepared to accept us as we are, then call me, but until then, good-bye." She took a slow breath and entwined her fingers with Angus' as they walked away.


	3. A Place to Call Home

**A/N: Ok here's number 3. No reviews so far, so I can only take that as no one having any complaints. The story is now heading in a completely different direction than the show and is entirely of my own imagination. I've said it twice before, but please review, I really want to know what people think of where I take this.**

**I hope you all enjoy this next part!**

Part 3:

* * *

The drive was long and tense. They both felt horrible about what had happened in Ramsay Street even though they knew that it was bound to happen one day. Angus gripped the wheel with both hands, his knuckles going white with strain.

"Rach, I'm so sorry, I never wanted it to happen this way. I didn't want to come between you and your family. I honestly thought that things would be better once I got out," Angus apologised; pain and sadness clear in his voice. Rachel turned from the window and gazed at him. She smiled softly and placed her hand on his leg.

"Don't be sorry, you've nothing to apologise for. If my family can't get over themselves enough to see how true our feelings are then they can suffer. I love you and I don't want to lose you. Anyway, things can only get better from here," she laughed lightly, giving his leg a squeeze. He smiled at her and slipped his left hand from the wheel so that it covered hers.

"I love you too," he replied sincerely. He turned his attention back to the road and they fell into a comfortable silence. Rachel smiled at Angus once more then turned to stare out the window again, leaving her hand on his leg. She watched as tree after tree flew past the window, each one bringing her closer to her new life. She felt as though with each passing tree a little bit of her old life disappear. A little piece of the old Rachel vanished and a piece of the new Rachel took its place.

She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. She hadn't realised how tired she was until her eyes had closed. As the warm arms of sleep wrapped themselves around her she felt Angus squeeze her hand gently and place it on her lap. She smiled in her sleepy state then lost herself in the realm of dreams.

He smiled as he caught a glimpse of her lying back against the chair, her eyes closed. He ran his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze as he pulled it gently from his leg and placed it on her lap. He had never felt happier in his life. He had the love of his life beside him and they were about to start a new life together.

* * *

"Rach, wake up baby, we're here," he said softly as he gently nudged her. She groaned slightly as she opened her eyes. She smiled when her sleepy eyes fell on the face she loved. She couldn't wait to be able to wake up every morning and see his handsome face beside her. She sat up straight in the seat and glanced out the window.

The town on the other side of the glass was not what she was expecting. She wasn't expecting skyscrapers or huge apartment buildings, but she wasn't expecting this either. Outside her window was a small town main street. She could clearly see a bank, bakery, newsagency, post office, and supermarket. In front of the car was a zebra crossing. A group of school students strolled lazily across the zebra crossing, staring openly at the newcomers in the car.

"Yeah, we are," she smiled as she leaned over and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "So, where do we live? I'm assuming that it's not in the supermarket," she laughed as she gestured to the building directly opposite her window. Angus laughed too.

"No, we don't live in the supermarket," he agreed, "We just stopped here so I could get some supplies. We are going to live down the road a bit." He pointed down the road ahead of them. "Wanna see our new home?" he asked. Rachel nodded and he started the car.

"Wow, this is nice," Rachel commented as they pulled their suitcases from the car. She dropped her bag on the footpath and gazed up at her new home. The house was simple yet tasteful. It was a small brick house with a pretty, neat front garden. Climbers covered the arch over the front-path that led to an old fashioned wooden front door. Rose bushes lined the front of the house, and tulips lined to path. The driveway next to the house led to a single car garage.

"Shall we?" Angus gestured with a suitcase laden hand toward to house.

"Yeah, let's go," Rachel grinned. She grabbed her bags and followed Angus up the path. They stopped at the front door as Angus searched for the key. He smiled nervously as he patted his pockets. When he finally located the key he held it in front of the lock with an unsteady hand. He wasn't nervous about starting a new life with Rachel; he loved her and he knew that wasn't going to change, he was just worried that one day she'd wake up and regret leaving her old life for him. Somehow she seemed to sense his discomfort and placed an arm around him, pulling him into a sideways embrace.

"Come on, we can't stand out here all day," she joked. He laughed and slipped the key into the lock. The inside of the house was classic in style. There were no fancy lights or mouldings on the walls, just ordinary cream coloured walls. To the immediate left of the front door was the living room. To the right was the dining room. The dining room contained one of the two entrances into the kitchen, the other being further down the hall. Just past the living room was the bathroom, next to that was the toilet. Right at the back of the house was the bedroom.

They carried their bags down the hall and dumped them unceremoniously on the floor of what was to be their bedroom. There was no furniture in the house, which was going to prove quite a problem. Between them they had almost a thousand dollars, but that was only through raiding every savings account they had.

Angus smiled as he watched Rachel survey their new home. He was excited at the prospect of living with Rachel and taking care of her, which is what he was always taught was a man's job; to care for his wife. Even though Rachel wasn't his wife he hoped that one day she might be. She turned to face him and a grin lit up her face. She let out an excited squeal and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her around in a similar fashion as to when he was released from jail.

He lowered her to the ground and pressed a loving kiss upon her lips. She smiled against his lips and deepened the kiss. His tongue traced her lips as they parted, allowing his tongue to enter in the sweet dance of love with hers. They pulled apart slowly, resting their foreheads together.

"We have some shopping to do I do believe," Angus whispered, his eyes still closed, simply enjoying the closeness.

"Yeah, we do," Rachel sighed. She moved away from him and opened one of her bags. After a minute of searching she pulled out a handbag. She checked that it contained her purse before leading the way back out to the car.


End file.
